Top 20 attractions in Myshkin, Russia

The small town of Myshkin literally made itself. Only a few thousand people live here, but the number of attractions per square meter is off scale. Most of them are small private mouse-themed museums, created specifically to attract tourists and develop the travel industry. There are also several noteworthy temples of the XVII-XIX centuries.

It is fair to say that Myshkin did a great job - from an inconspicuous village, he turned into a popular tourist center, an obligatory stopping point for sightseeing boats traveling down the Volga towards Yaroslavl. The town is an excellent example of how one can achieve prosperity through one's own efforts, taking as a basis some unique quality (in the case of Myshkin, this is its name).

What to see and where to go in Myshkin?

The most interesting and beautiful places for walking. Photos and a short description.

"Mouse Chambers"

"Mouse Chambers" (or the Palace of the Mouse) appeared in 2008 as part of the development of the tourist industry of the town. The complex was built in the form of an elegant mansion. A tour of its five halls takes about an hour: in the Throne Room guests are greeted by the royal couple of mice, in the Imperial Hall numerous gifts from visitors are exhibited, in the Room of Crooked Mirrors you can laugh at your own image, there is also a refectory and a room dedicated to the symbol of Yaroslavl - the bear.

mouse museum

The only museum in the world dedicated to mice. Its collection is constantly replenished thanks to exhibits delivered from different countries: the USA, France, Japan, India. The exhibits themselves are figurines of small rodents depicting representatives of various professions, social strata and cartoon characters. The museum has a library with mouse-themed literature and a mini-zoo.

Museum of Technology "Myshkinsky Samohod"

The museum exposition consists of old models of transport: cars and trucks, buses, agricultural and industrial equipment, motorcycles, ships. During the tour, you can see a demonstration of the operation of the mechanisms (some of them are in good condition). Every year, the museum hosts festivals of rare technology, usually timed to coincide with the City Day.

Museum of Peasant Architecture of Small Forms

Historical and ethnographic complex in the open air, where you can see wooden buildings: houses, barns, baths, pavilions of merchant estates, workshops, windmills brought from various regions of the Yaroslavl region. All buildings are made of wood. After a walk through the museum, one gets a complete impression of the conditions in which the peasants lived 100-200 years ago and what the representatives of this class did in everyday life.

Pilot's Capital Museum

Once Myshkin became famous throughout the Yaroslavl province thanks to his skillful pilots, who knew the Volga best of all and explored its river expanses far and wide. The exposition of the Museum of the capital of pilots (local lore) tells about the history of this craft, as well as about local merchants and nobles, skilled artisans, talented artists who came from the peasant class.

Museum "Makhaev Dvor"

The Museum of Merchant Life, which presents a thematic exposition showing a retrospective of the daily life of the class of merchants - the locomotive of the economic development of the provinces of the Russian Empire in the 18th-19th centuries. In Makhaev Dvor you can see the furnishings of a merchant's hut with a living room, an office, a dining room and a servant's room, a typical trading shop, as well as the apartments of a janitor and a clerk.

Myshkinskaya Art Gallery

The art gallery was founded in 1991. Most of the exposition consists of the works of the painter G. A. Tatarinov, who was born in the Yaroslavl province. He painted classic Russian landscapes depicting the beauty of Russia's nature. The largest hall of the museum is adapted for temporary exhibitions, where the works of graphic artists, sculptors, photographers and craftsmen working in the direction of decorative and applied arts are brought.

Museum "Russian felt boots"

There are museums dedicated to the Russian craft of felting warm felt shoes in many cities of Russia. Myshkin also did not stand aside. Moreover, "Russian felt boots" is almost the first place where tourists who arrived on motor ships rush. In two halls of a small room, felt boots of all shapes and sizes are presented - from simple gray and practical to elegantly decorated with colored applications (there are even felt boots with heels).

Linen Museum

The Flax Museum is another classic exposition, almost a must for every tourist town in Central Russia. In the Myshkinskaya linen gallery, you can learn about the entire process of turning flax from a seed into a finished product. The halls display samples of clothing, toys and home textiles made from this material. A fairly large area is reserved for an exhibition-sale, where you can buy your favorite things.

Museum of Living Crafts "Myshgorod"

The museum was created on the initiative of local artisans who organized several workshops-expositions of various profiles. In "Mouse City" you can not only look at finished products and the work of craftsmen, but also take part in a master class. Visitors are offered to try themselves in the role of a potter, blacksmith, glass blower, as well as in the art of wicker weaving, making toys and candles.

Pyotr Smirnov Museum

The museum is dedicated to the personality of the peasant P. Smirnov, who was born in Myshkino. Thanks to his talents and personal qualities, he became a successful entrepreneur and millionaire. He created one of the most famous and popular brands of Smirnovskaya vodka (a more modern brand is Smirnoff). The exposition consists of several hundred items, including bottles with a strong drink. After the tour, those who wish can proceed to the tasting.

Museum-gallery of dolls of Olga Pavlycheva

A visit to the private museum of the Myshkin craftswoman Olga Pavlova is a real treat for girls. Each lovingly made exhibit of the collection has bright individual features, it has its own character and lives its own life. Most of the dolls are made of papier-mâché, and there are also pieces designed for children's play (made of more durable materials).

"The Miller's House"

Once on the territory of the museum there was a real mill - the largest in the city. It was closed in the middle of the 20th century as unnecessary, all the mechanisms are still in working condition. In the museum during the tour you can learn about the process of flour production, the work of the miller and the arrangement of mechanisms. Interactive programs and tea parties with delicious pastries are also provided for visitors.

Assumption Cathedral

The cathedral church of the town, erected at the beginning of the 19th century according to the project of the architect I. Manfrini. Funds for the construction were donated by the townspeople (mainly representatives of the merchant class). The building is made in the classical style. It is crowned with five domes - a large central one and four side ones, located on decorative towers. The entrance is decorated in the form of a Greek portico, on the right is the bell tower, on the left is a semicircular apse.

Nikolsky Cathedral

The oldest temple of Myshkin, built in 1769. It was erected at the expense of the St. Petersburg mayor, the merchant A.P. Berezin. The merchant decided to donate to the construction of the cathedral after he bought the family icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, laid in a tavern by his poor father. In 1830, the building was rebuilt, adding a portico with columns and changing the shape of the dome, later the bell tower was remade, but it has not survived to this day.

Sorrowful Church

The church was built in the second half of the 19th century in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" according to the old tradition with donations from merchants. The architectural style of the building can be defined as Neo-Renaissance; its appearance strongly resembles St. Petersburg churches. In Soviet times, the building housed an archive and workshops, thanks to which it is relatively well preserved.

Church of the Ascension in Okhotino

The temple is located in the village of Okhotino, Myshkinsky district. It was built at the end of the 18th century with the money of the merchant A.P. Berezin, who also financed the construction of St. Nicholas Cathedral in Myshkino. The building is a five-domed structure with a classical belfry. It is based on a rectangular quadrangle, on which towers with domes are fortified. The entrance to the territory of the church is decorated with decorative gates.

Victory Memorial

The memorial complex was built in 2005 in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Victory. In the center of the composition is a bronze figure of a soldier, in front of which the Eternal Flame burns. Behind him is a wall with slabs, where the names and portraits of the city residents who died during the Great Patriotic War are placed. An alley leads from the square to the banks of the Volga. On it is the chapel of St. George the Victorious, built in 2008.

Eco ranch

A farm in the village of Povodnevo, where ponies, goats, sheep, cows and African ostriches live. Guests of the ranch take pictures with animals, feed them with specially prepared food (you cannot offer your own treats to animals) and pet them. Children can ride small horses. After the tour, you can buy products made from ostrich skin and feathers, as well as various eco-products in the souvenir shop: eggs, milk, smoked fish and much more.

City embankment and the Volga river

The Myshkin embankment was finally completed in 2014. Tourist ships moor to it, and a ferry goes from here to the left bank of the Volga. Usually, tourists arriving in the city of Myshkin along the river are greeted with a theatrical mini-performance. Museum staff, dressed in mouse costumes, sing songs, dance and demonstrate hospitality in every possible way.